High School What is the relation between wavelength and orbital?

Click For Summary
SUMMARY

The relationship between wavelength and orbital transitions in chemistry is primarily described using the Rydberg formula. When electrons transition between orbitals, the energy difference can be calculated, which corresponds to the photon energy using Planck's equation E = hf. This discussion highlights the importance of understanding these equations to solve problems related to electron transitions and wavelength calculations. The assigned reading did not cover this topic adequately, necessitating a syllabus update.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of the Rydberg formula for hydrogen atom spectral lines
  • Familiarity with Planck's equation E = hf for photon energy calculations
  • Basic knowledge of electron orbital energy levels
  • Concept of photon emission during electron transitions
NEXT STEPS
  • Study the Rydberg formula in detail for various elements
  • Explore Planck's equation and its applications in quantum mechanics
  • Research electron transitions and their impact on spectral lines
  • Investigate how changes in orbital energies affect wavelength calculations
USEFUL FOR

Chemistry students, educators, and anyone interested in understanding the principles of electron transitions and their relation to wavelength in atomic physics.

jacob baugher
I am in a chemistry class, and there was an in class example on how to do this type of problem, but then when I looked in the book, there wasn't an equation. the questions are related to what the wavelength will be when electrons are moving between orbitals.
 
Physics news on Phys.org
Could the Rydberg formula be what you're looking for?

Alternatively, if you have an equation that gives the energies of the orbitals, you can get the same result by finding the difference in energies between the two orbitals, which gives the photon energy, then using Planck's famous formula E = hf.
 
Last edited:
Did you copy the example from class? If so, please post it and we can try to figure out what's going on in the problem.
 
Thanks for the help, it turned out the assigned reading didn't cover it, they had to edit the syllabus, it was rydberg's equation.
 
Thread 'Unexpected irregular reflection signal from a high-finesse cavity'

Thread 'Unexpected irregular reflection signal from a high-finesse cavity'

I am observing an irregular, aperiodic noise pattern in the reflection signal of a high-finesse optical cavity (finesse ≈ 20,000). The cavity is normally operated using a standard Pound–Drever–Hall (PDH) locking configuration, where an EOM provides phase modulation. The signals shown in the attached figures were recorded with the modulation turned off. Under these conditions, when scanning the laser frequency across a cavity resonance, I expected to observe a simple reflection dip. Instead...
View full post »

Similar threads

Undergrad Instantaneous dipole moment and orbitals
  • · Replies 2 ·
Replies
2
Views
703
Graduate Empirical tight-binding sp3s* band structure of semiconductors
  • · Replies 2 ·
Replies
2
Views
2K
Graduate LCAO graphene orbitals wave functions
  • · Replies 1 ·
Replies
1
Views
2K
Undergrad Linear combinations of atomic orbitals
  • · Replies 1 ·
Replies
1
Views
3K
High School Why is an electric arc needed for spectroscopy of clear gases?
  • · Replies 4 ·
Replies
4
Views
3K
Undergrad Photons and wavelength in ultrafast optics
  • · Replies 11 ·
Replies
11
Views
2K
Undergrad Spin-Orbit Coupling & Isotope Shift
  • · Replies 1 ·
Replies
1
Views
2K
Undergrad In what cases (precisely) are Hund's rules valid?
  • · Replies 3 ·
Replies
3
Views
4K
Undergrad Why is spin-orbit coupling neglected in Helium atom?
  • · Replies 5 ·
Replies
5
Views
5K
How to predict chemical reactions?
  • · Replies 16 ·
Replies
16
Views
3K